So I went to the Institute of Education to hear all about this…it was a rather academic, very well delivered speech by Professor Carol Vincent, all about how middle class parents (mothers actually) have taken parenting and throttled the life out of it thanks to extra mural activities, afterschool clubs, parenting books and interference at schools.
“It appears inconceivable to many middle class mothers that they should leave education up to the school – that they should wholeheartedly trust their children’s teachers to get on with it,” said Prof Vincent, sounding more than a little aggrieved and grumbling about our obsession with ‘enrichment activities’ for our offspring.
Am I guilty of this? Well, not really. I am very happy with the education ALL my children receive at school. I just think they quite like having a bit extra. Enrichment activites sound OK for me, if they are enriching and not a total pain. Plus, they are available. Very easily. It’s not like I have to get in a car and drive for an hour in order to have Kumon or swimming lessons. These lot are on the doorstep. Plus, they gain from it. Walking home from school Lucien (7) picks up a postcard from the pavement. Tough here, Islington. Anyway. It shows an artwork by Grayson Perry. Not the rude one here but one of his pots.
“That’s by Grayson Perry,” says my delightful child casually. Have I taken him, Helicopterishly, to the Perry show at the BM? Sorry, Professor, I have. We loved it. Particularly when the artist himself turned up in full female regalia. I think we were all enriched by that.
2 February 2012 by Fi Bird
Not quite the same for the Outerbackers – try a local Glen Comprehensive where you can’t take 3 Science Highers and as for the Classics or more than French standard grade, don’t even go there. We’ve paid for educational extras, well the bog standard A level biology and classical GCSEs and as a result have never been able to afford all the extras and they aren’t readily available anyway. However, I’m happy island hoping in welly boots rather than stilettos and we can trade something foraged for the postcard
Best wishes
Soon to be an Island Ferry Mum
3 February 2012 by Carol Vincent
Hi Rosie
Sorry not to meet you the other night. I really wished that I had located myself as a bit more of a middle class, ‘enriching’ mother in that talk. I did say at one point i was a parent manager – monitoring my kids school experiences in detail! I wasn’t criticising enrichment activities as such, simply trying to make the point that they do deliver advantages for already advantaged children, and that that point gets overlooked, the knowledge and skills that children develop become the apparently ‘natural’ abilities of a talented child. Thanks for saying it was well delivered – I was actually terrified!
17 February 2012 by Emma
Have not got as far as school with my LO yet, but am having kittens trying to find a nursery that I approve of LOL. I do agree that enrichment activities are a great idea. Most kids love to learn … we should be encouraging them!
21 February 2012 by Karien
Great post! I think there are miles between doing nothing, and dragging your child from mandarin lessons to violin to whatever at 4 yrs old.
Showing your kids a love for art, music, reading etc can only be good, can’t it? This prof Vincent should think twice. if you only do school, you’ll get average children, with average interests. As long as you leave your kid plenty of freedom to be a kid, be itself and the individual it wants to be, you can show it all the great things that live has in store
21 February 2012 by Joan
I wasn’t at the lecture but from reading Carol Vincent’s comment above and the precis of her lecture on the Institute of Education’s website it seems to me that what she is saying is perfectly true. Middle class parents (guilty as charged) do cultivate a lot of extras for their children and it’s easy then to make a jump to believe that your child is especially gifted at something when in fact the less advantaged child at the next desk is just as gifted but hasn’t had the advantage of all the extras thrown at them. This is why schemes such as the Mayor’s scheme providing free music lessons are very important. And we have to recognise that the barriers are not just financial. My mum and dad would never have let me have the sorts of opportunities (which here in London often free – orchestral schemes, museum workshops) that my three kids have, on the grounds that they were ‘not for the likes of us’. My mum recently opened up as to how my going to university was a real problem for my dad and her as they felt they were losing me. I don’t get the impression that Carol Vincent is arguing that enrichment activities are bad, just that they should be more evenly spread out.